Professor Andrew Carnell BSc PhD

Personal Statement

Andrew Carnell graduated in Biological Chemistry from the University of Kent in 1988 and obtained a PhD from the University of Exeter in 1991 where he worked on the enzymatic Baeyer Villiger oxidation with Professor Stanley Roberts. After a postdoc in Montreal where he worked with Professor Stephen Hanessian, he worked as a Research Chemist at Associated Octel Ltd before being appointed lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Liverpool in 1996. In 2004 he was promoted to Senior lecturer, then to Reader in 2016 and to Professor in 2024.

Andrew’s Research Group work on the development of enzymes for application in chemical synthesis and industrial biotechnology. He works extensively with industry to develop highly active and selective enzymes to catalyse biotransformations for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, biosurfactants and bio-derived polymers. A current focus is on developing multistep enzymatic reaction sequences to transform waste materials such as plastics into high value chemicals. In collaboration with Prof Daniel Rigden at University of Liverpool and the Liverpool GeneMill, AI approaches are being developed for enzyme design and to improve biocatalyst activity, soluble expression and stability. Key enzymes currently being developed in his lab are carboxyl methyl transferases and ‘promiscuous’ hydrolases that can catalyse ester and amide bond formation under aqueous conditions.

With Innovate UK and UKRI funding and working with Biome Bioplastics Ltd he developed oxidase enzymes for a patented process for conversion of biomass-derived HMF to bioplastics intermediate FDCA. He has successfully supervised 21 PhD students (17 as primary supervisor), 3 MSc students and 8 PDRAs.